Tag Archives: Topaz Adjust
Topaz Adjust 5 Review
Topaz Adjust 5
I just downloaded and installed the latest version of Topaz Adjust the other day and I thought I’d take a moment to share my thoughts with you. I use Topaz Adjust in my workflow about 40% – 50% of the time for everything from adding detail & texture in an image to creating unique effects.
The biggest inconvenience I had before update of Adjust 5 was that the overall effects of the filters were usually a bit too strong to be used by themselves. I therefore would copy the before image into Photoshop and use a layer mask to mask in the desired effect. I am so used to using layer masks in Photoshop that this doesn’t bother me, but it could create some issues if you do not use Photoshop in your workflow.
The folks over at Topaz Labs did a great job adding in plenty of new features to Adjust 5 which make adding subtle or local adjustments to your images a piece of cake!
Topaz Adjust works as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture & iPhoto. Simply select the desired image in your preferred program and launch the program. You’ll notice a categorized list of presets on the left – simply play around with the different ones until you find one that looks good for your image.
Once you’ve selected one of the presets from the left, you can go to the “Finishing Touches” bar on the right and adjust the overall transparency of the effect. You can also use the “Global Adjustment” tab to fine tune the effect to your liking.
One of the best additions to Adjust 5 is the ability to brush out the effect in places that you don’t want it. Use the “Local Adjustments” tab to do this as well as Dodge, Burn and Smooth the image locally.
Additional Topaz Adjust 5 Highlights include:
For a limited time, you can get the full version of Topaz Adjust 5 for 30% off by using the coupon code “ADJUSTME”. If you have previously purchased a copy of Topaz Adjust, you can upgrade to the new version for free! While you’re there, you should consider getting the Topaz Bundle which includes Adjust, DeNoise, Detail, B&W Effects and much more!
Before & After Examples
Before
After
Before
After
Additional Images Processed With Topaz Adjust
Metate Arch
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and compliments on yesterday’s post “Radiance”. This is certainly one of my favorite images that I have taken so far and I have several more shots to share with you from the Sand Dunes in the near future as well.
Today’s image was taken from my brief time in Escalante. I intended to spend three days camping and exploring down Hole in the Rock Road. This 60 mile dirt road has so much to offer including arches, slot canyons, caves and much more. Unfortunately, a rather fierce storm front began to move promising a combination of rain and snow which would make the road impassable. I therefore had to content myself with a single day of shooting in the extraordinary area but was very pleased with the shots I came away with. The below image is of Metate Arch which is part of the area called “The Devil’s Playground”.
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 16-35
Processing: Photomatix Pro 4, Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Topaz Adjust
Image Type: 5 Exposure HDR
The Road
So after months of research and planning I am finally on the road to Utah today. The plan is to be on the road by 3am today and make it to Lake Powell around sunrise before crossing over into Utah. I have a full 5 days of shooting before I make my way back home on Monday so I will not be able to update my blog during that time. You can however follow me and Google+ and Facebook where I will be posting updates whenever chance and signal allow. Hope you have a great week and I will see you soon!
Camera: Nikon 90
Lens: Tokina 11-16
Processing: Photomatix Pro 4, Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Topaz Adjust
Double Take
Here’s a shot of Cathedral Rock in Sedona during sunset. I was a bit late arriving on the scene as it would have been nice to catch this shot a bit earlier while the cottonwood trees in the foreground were let but sometimes you can’t have everything. I am not sure what it is about Cathedral Rock except for the fact that it calls to me. I look forward to seeing some snow at this spot soon!
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 16-35
Processing: Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5
A River Runs Through It
Happy Monday everyone! I posted a picture on G+ last night of some of the gear I was sorting through for my Utah trip this week. I got a request to tag all of the items in the photo so I decided instead to record a quick (kind of) video talking about the different gear I was taking for those of you who are interested. This is just some of what I’m taking this week. Enjoy!
We spent this past weekend in Sedona enjoying some great weather and some brilliant fall colors. After a slight sunrise snafu that involved me setting the alarm for 4:30pm instead of am, we set off to explore Oak Creek Canyon where we came across some brilliant morning light illuminating some beautiful foliage. For images like this, I tend to have a lot of problems with ghosting in the leaves. I decided the best way to overcome this was to blend the exposures manually in Photoshop instead of using Photomatix. What do you do when you have ghosting issues with leaves?
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 16-35
Processing: Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5
Follow Me
Latest Comments